3D Printed WikiHouse 4.0 Under Construction In London

The first ever prototype of the WikiHouse 4.0 will open today in London as an experiment that could potentially disrupt the way we make housing and even entire cities - with the help of 3D printing.

WikiHouse 4.0 is an open source construction set which gives people the freedom to design and download plans to print their own home. The kit supposedly requires minimum training or formal skills and can be assembled within a day.

The pieces can be digitally cut from a standard sheet material like plywood using a CNC machine which radically lowers the length of time, cost and skill necessary in traditional building.

A conventional two bedroom home can be built for less than £50,000 and additional parts like cladding, services, insulation and windows can also be added to the structure.

The WikiHouse could prove particularly vital in cases where emergency housing is needed in situations such as post-earthquake conditions. If successful it could become a viable solution for providing affordable homes in the future and putting designing into the hands of the buyer.

The house is being constructed as part of the London Design Festival and the site is open for tours to watch the live build throughout the day.

This will be the first time a two story house has been digitally cut and built using open source technology but it is not the first time a 3D printed house has been built. Earlier this year, a firm in China used giant 3D printers to make 10 full sized houses in just one day. This month, the world’s first 3D printed castle was completed after a former architect developed a printer capable of 3D printing with cement. Designers in New York are going one step further and getting to work on an entirely 3D printed estate - including a swimming pool. Perhaps the most ambitious plan we have come across is the Moonhouse project, an idea dreamt up by a Swedish artist to get a 3D printed little red house on the moon.

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